NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court its ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra’, which aimed to “reach the unreached”, was devoid of any political reference or insignia and the PIL alleging “political propaganda” wants to “turn it on its head”.
The central government, while responding to the PIL by E A S Sarma and Jagdeep S Chhokar against the alleged use of public servants and defence personnel in the yatra as well as installation of selfie points with the prime minister’s placard, said the yatra, which is now over, was an “agglomeration” of various government schemes for the benefit of the masses and merely sought to spread awareness in the public.
It stated that there was also an endeavour to spread awareness through the selfie points and several crore people participated in these programmes.
“Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is to draw the last man standing, to make him feel proud of the achievement,” said Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma.
“They are neutral government schemes for one and all. There is no categorisation or no portfolio. It is an omnibus scheme for all... It is a government scheme for government achievements and does not carry any political insignia, (and) does not carry any political name or political reference. The PIL wants to turn it on its head,” he further said.
ABVP launches Vikas Yatra for voter turnout
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) on Tuesday initiated the Vikas Bharat Yatra from Delhi University’s Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College to Kalindi College on Monday, as part of a campaign to raise voter awareness. Hundreds of students participating in the yatra called on the public to prioritise national interests and achieve 100 per cent voter turnout.